The Many Types of Photographers

It is a well-known fact that there are some rather serious diseases that plague photographers out there. While we have all heard of the Gear Acquisition Syndrome and other photography addictions, it is time to expand the photography jargon to include the many types of photographers we deal with today. Some of these have been around for years, while others have been recently bred in the darkest corners of the Internet. Without further ado, let’s get down to it!

We will first start with brand fanboys, then move on to the more specific types.

The Nikon Fanboy – a Nikon fanboy shoots only with Nikon-branded gear. Over many years of owning and shooting with Nikon cameras and Nikkor glass, they have developed a severe allergic reaction to any other camera brand. A diehard Nikon fan will be wearing Nikon tattoos and only drinking from a Nikkor lens mug. Each year when celebrating their birthday, they will be eating a chocolate-covered cake, shaped in the form of a Nikon DSLR. Nikon fanboys are always in line for the latest and greatest Nikon has to offer. Who said that Nikon’s 100th Anniversary limited edition cameras and lenses were overpriced? Definitely not for Nikon fanboys! In fact, aside from the real camera gear, they are actually proud to own a limited edition crystal mock-up version of a Nikon Model 1 (pictured above). In the modern age of mirrorless cameras, one might think that Nikon fanboys are a dying breed, but that’s so far from the truth. Considering that Nikon has already sold over 100 million lenses, there are quite a few of them out there.

The Canon Fanboy – a true Canon fanboy doesn’t listen to Nikon fanboys and their dynamic range and base ISO performance claims. Who cares if the Canon 6D Mark II has worse dynamic range than an APS-C camera? As long as the camera performs miracles at high ISOs and provides beautiful Canon color with natural-looking skin tones, that’s all that matters. Real Canon fanboys know that glass > camera, always. And come on, who in the world shoots with black lenses? They heat up like Chernobyl in summer. Pro-grade white glass is immune from this, which is why more pros shoot with Canon at Olympics. Lastly, let’s not forget who owns the camera market!

The Sony Fanboy – “DSLR is dead. It is a matter of time before Nikon and Canon suffer the same fate as Kodak”, says a Sony fanboy. So what if one walks around with pockets full of camera batteries? It is totally worth it, considering how much weight a Sony mirrorless setup can shave off the camera bag. Have some old Canikon glass lying around? Don’t worry, anything can adapt to a Sony mirrorless camera. And with the Sony A9 crushing both the Nikon D5 and the Canon 1D X Mark II in the real-world environments, it doesn’t matter that there is no super telephoto prime glass available yet – a true Sony fanboy will gladly wait. Plus, the new FE 100-400mm GM is sharper than a Canon 200-400mm f/4, so big glass might not be necessary, after-all. And let’s not forget, a Nikon is essentially a Sony camera, because it is all Sony-made sensor technology anyway. A Sony mirrorless camera is a DSLR eater, not a star eater!

The Pentax Fanboy – want to escalate a perfectly friendly camera discussion to a fist fight? Invite a Pentaxian and say something bad about a Pentax product. Without a doubt, no other brand in the world has a community with that kind of dedication and commitment. If you ever get a chance to meet a Pentaxian, your only way out is to ask for guidance on switching from your crap brand camera to Pentax and let them do the talking. Who said Pentax Q failed? It was a mere diversion strategy to bring out the K1, the greatest camera the world will ever see.

The Fuji Fanboy – every Fuji fanboy knows that their X-series cameras outperform all full-frame cameras on the market. Fuji APS-C is the new 35mm, haven’t you heard? The magic lies in the X-Trans filter array, which lies at the heart of every Fuji X camera sensor. Couple that with retro controls, super lightweight construction and the most outstanding lenses ever made in the history of mankind, and you’ve got yourself a Fuji fanboy. A full-frame DSLR has a prime disadvantage: it cannot match two cans of beer! Heck yes to Acros and Astia – a Fuji shooter only resorts to RAW as a backup. As a Fuji fanboy, you either stick to the X, or go big with the GF. Everything else is a compromise. A Fuji fanboy doesn’t waste his time analyzing MTF charts or pixel-peeping his images – he heads out with a Fuji camera and dives into the only thing that matters: photography. And what in the world is a PASM dial again?

The Micro Four Thirds Fanboy – every Micro Four Thirds (MFT) fanboy knows who brought the 4:3 aspect ratio to digital photography. Heck, even the iPhone uses 4:3 aspect ratio when taking pictures and it is the most popular phone on the market today! MFT fanboys stay clear from all the big, bulky and heavy camera gear. Why even bother with those when an MFT system is practically pocketable? Every mirrorless manufacturer owes it to MFT alliance. If it wasn’t for Olympus and Panasonic, people would still be clicking with their prehistoric DSLR cameras.

The Leica Fanboy – made in Germany? Check. Henri Cartier Bresson? Check. Silent, discreet Shooting? Check. Collectability? Check. Top-of-the-line glass. Hell Yeah! Form follows function? Leica invented that phrase! Leica fanboys are in for the exclusivity and it is worth every dollar to be a part of it. Remember, with Leica, you don’t buy into a system, you buy into a lifestyle! Leica haters will always hate because they can’t afford it. Fuji is the China of Leica. Don’t ever dare to challenge a Leica fanboy, or they will be ramming your house with their limited edition Porsche Carrera GTs!

The Mirrorless Guru – size and weight matter and EVF is the best thing since sliced bread, says a mirrorless guru. Don’t you dare mention a DSLR to a mirrorless guru, or you will have to endure an hour-long lecture on why DSLRs are a dying breed, with plenty of analogies to back up the claims, such as “carriage vs car”, “VHS vs Blu-Ray”,etc. You will surely enrich your photography jargon with such terms as: Live histograms, focus peaking, fast on-sensor phase detection AF, so on and so forth. Oh, and with the upcoming solar eclipse, you definitely do not want to bring up OVF into the discussion, as it will surely burn a hole through your head. A true mirrorless guru never rests. They spend the bulk of their time browsing the Internet and looking for any mirrorless vs DSLR discussions they can find. They know that it is their sacred duty to spread awareness of the amazing mirrorless technology – the more DSLR shooters they convert, the more safer they feel about their new investment.

The DSLR Diehard – “you will only be able to pry my DSLR out of my cold, dead hands”, says a DSLR diehard to a mirrorless guru. A DSLR diehard doesn’t care about EVFs, since OVFs give him the real representation of what his eyes see, not some display with a bunch of fancy OLED pixels. He has tried an EVF before and it gave him a headache. He hates the handling of mirrorless cameras, their terrible balance with long glass and his big fingers don’t fit flimsy grips. He appreciates the solid feel of a DSLR in his hands and feels comfortable with the menu system that doesn’t have a million of different options he could care less about.

The Pixel Peeper – is one who cannot appreciate an image without looking at it at 100% or higher zoom levels. Pixel peepers can only appreciate digital photography, since film does not have enough resolving power to create pixel-level data. They only work on a dual monitor setup, because it is the ultimate way to pixel peep. By default, their Lightroom opens with 200% zoom on the second monitor, because that’s how they can easily tell if a photo is worth even looking at. They scout the web for high-resolution images of any new camera and import them into Lightroom for slicing and dicing every part of the image. Just by looking at a 100% view of any photo, they can instantly recognize the camera make and model, determine its dynamic range capabilities and whether the camera has a damaging low-pass filter. Pixel peepers spend weeks calibrating every single lens they have at various distances, because they do not want a single out of focus image in their Lightroom catalog.

The DxOMarker – a relatively new breed of photographers who like numbers more than photography. They refer to DxOMark data like the Bible. If you hear someone argue that one camera has 0.1 EV inferior dynamic range performance, you have met a DxOMarker. They base every purchase they make on DxOMark data and only look at lenses with the highest sharpness numbers, since everything else is irrelevant. DxOMarkers are not afraid to admit that they are heavy pixel peepers.

The Rumor Fanatic – subscribes to and hangs out on rumor sites to find out what camera and lenses will be coming out. Over the years, he has become an expert in identifying fake vs real rumors. Rumor fanatics love the build-up of excitement, because it is a perfect way to fuel Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS). Rumors are the adrenaline of photography. A dedicated rumor fanatic reads every rumor post and every comment posted by others. He loves using “Shut Up and Take My Money” and similar memes to show his excitement with new camera gear rumors and announcements.

The Film Prick – expired film? Sounds good! The Holga “look”? Why the hell not?! If you thought digital photography was the future, you have not met a film prick. Seriously, you will never master photography if you don’t experience film. Film pricks pride themselves with making images, not taking them. They know that digital photography has made people lazier than ever. Before digital, there was no concept of “spray and pray” and bracketed shots with every image – that’s a grave sin for any self-respected film photographer! Film photography is a pure form of art that connects people to the original medium. Film slows you down and forces you to think twice before taking a shot. And don’t you dare argue with that!

The Prime Shooter – zoom lenses suck, they are made for lazy people who do not know how to move with their feet! A zoom lens has way too many moving elements and they can never match the performance of a simple, low element count prime. Forget about the 3D pop with a zoom lens – it is simply impossible! A prime shooter only stays loyal to his primes and he won’t let a zoom near his camera bag. A dedicated prime shooter only invests in branded lenses and their ultimate kit consists of Zeiss, Leica or Schneider lenses. For some prime shooters, the more lead and radiation, the better!

The SuperZoomer – the direct opposite of a prime shooter. A superzoomer’s favorite lens has been the Nikon 28-300mm, but now that Tamron released its 18-400mm, the king is dead, long live the king! Superzoomers dream of a day when an ultimate 8-600mm f/0.95 materializes. And if it takes liquid lenses to do it, so be it!

The Camera Gear Hoarder – there is no hope when it comes to curing their GAS. Over the years, they collected everything they could find at reasonable or bargain price. Despite the fact that most of the gear only gathers dust today, it will never be traded, sold or given away. Their closets are full of “good ol’ stuff” and they are proud to have gear for any occasion. A true camera gear hoarder will own cameras and lenses from multiple brands. They will have a mixture of film and digital cameras in a number of different formats, along with a boatload of lenses and adapters.

The Wide Open Freak – lenses are made to be shot wide open and stopping down is for losers, says a wide open freak. These people will shoot everything at maximum aperture, even landscapes. They don’t appreciate slow glass and their ultimate kit would only consist of pro-grade f/1.4 lenses, preferably all Zeiss.

The Bokeh Monster – a close cousin of a wide open freak, a bokeh monster shoots wide open only for one reason – to get good-looking bokeh! Bokeh monsters use special words to describe the characteristics of out of focus areas. You will often hear them use the word “creamy”, but they will use other words like “smooth”, “silky” and “bokehlicious” interchangeably. Unlike wide open freaks, bokeh monsters hate aspherical lens elements, because they make “onion-shaped” bokeh. They also don’t mind some specific zoom lenses such as a 70-200mm f/2.8, as long as its bokeh looks glorious. Many bokeh monsters naturally become portrait photographers and their favorite term aside from bokeh is “shallow depth of field”. Some bokeh monsters venture out to vintage glass specifically because they can get unique-looking bokeh that modern lenses cannot produce.

The Sharpness Junkie – most photographers who use digital cameras are sharpness junkies, but their junkiness can vary quite a bit and OCD sharpness junkies are by far the worst. If you go through their Lightroom catalogs, you will not find a single blurry image! OCD sharpness junkies have a special workflow set up for culling images. They view every single image at 100% zoom during the culling process only for one reason – to assess the sharpness of each photograph. If a photo turned out to be slightly out of focus or blurry, it must be eradicated, no matter how much emotion it might have in it. OCD sharpness junkies don’t even let blurry images get to the culling process; they get rid of those right in the camera. The button they press the most on their camera (aside from the shutter release) is the 100% instant zoom button. That’s because they use it religiously after every single shot.

The Crazy Photographer – the one who will do anything to get the shot, even if that means getting chased by a grizzly.

The HDR Freak – ever seen a photographer who shoots in 5 to 9 brackets by default? Well, you probably have not met a true HDR freak then. It is easy to identify HDR freaks – just look at any camera announcement article and scroll down to the comments section. Pretty much anyone who complaints about lack of 5+ brackets in ±3 stops is an HDR freak. A true HDR freak will use at least three different types of HDR software, with all kinds of ready presets to use. While most photographers end up in an “HDR hole” (refer to the green line in the above chart) when starting out in photography, some end up staying there permanently.

The Blending Addict – some photographers graduate out of the HDR hole directly into blending addicts, while others take much longer to earn this status. A blending addict loves in-camera bracketing as much as an HDR freak does, but there is one main difference between the two – post-processing. Instead of utilizing ready-made presets from third party HDR software, a true blending addict only defaults to luminosity masks in Photoshop. To make it easier to blend images, a blending addict will have at least one panel specifically made for creating many types of luminosity masks. Advanced blending addicts don’t buy third party panels – they make their own!

The Panorama Freak – if you shoot landscapes or architecture, you probably come across panorama freaks all the time. Identifying them is pretty easy – the first thing they pull out of their camera bag after setting up a tripod, is a panoramic head with a slider. More advanced panorama freaks will pull out a multi-row panorama setup, while dedicated panorama freaks won’t shoot with anything other than an automated panoramic head. Some of them eventually graduate into HDR + Panorama freaks, while others will venture into virtual reality. Why waste your time taking a single image with a high-resolution camera, if you can take gigapixel panos that can be made into wall-size prints at 720 dpi? That’s the basic mentality of a dedicated panorama freak. Never ask how much storage a panorama freak uses and don’t even picture what type of computer they built to handle multi-row HDR panoramas. A mere thought will burn a hole in your wallet.

The “Get It Right In Camera” Purist – a true “get it right in camera” purist does not play with exposure – he nails it every single time. He knows exactly what settings he needs to use in any scene and he could shoot with his eyes closed and still get a perfect shot. He has HDR and blending wiped out from his dictionary, because he never needs to resort to such low practices. He heavily depends on filters and always exposes to the right. He avoids spending much time with post-processing software, because his shots look good “as is”.

The Teacher – AKA the KnowItAll. You never asked them for advice and yet there they come explaining how your camera works and how you should be taking pictures. They know everything there is to know and not just about photography, but also about life in general.

The Critic – is found everywhere, especially in the circles of elite photographers of local camera clubs. “Your pictures suck”. “You have zero composition skills”. “Your framing is horrible”. “Your post-processing is amateurish”. These are just some of the kind things you will hear from a seasoned critic. Real critics believe that other photographers can only improve through direct, harsh criticism. They believe that softening up only leads to mediocrity, so a direct striking message is the only way to push an artist to create.

The Talker – the one who never stops talking. Once they find a way to start a conversation (which usually starts out about cameras, lenses or photography), the talker just keeps on chattering about anything and everything.

The Internet Troll – a very common occurrence on the Internet, but especially on photography forums. Internet trolls love hanging out in every discussion and contribute their part. Anonymity allows them to go by many different names and accounts. A true Internet troll will have multiple email accounts they use to register under different names / nicknames in many photography websites and forums. Internet trolls lie about their identity, age and sex, because they change them all the time. When nobody agrees with their statements, they sign in with a different account to support themselves. Internet trolls live off people’s reactions and they always seek confrontation and conflict. Some photography websites thrive on negative and provocative articles, because it brings out the best trolls. Unfortunately, some people get wrongly flagged as Internet trolls when they have conflicting views with others, especially website owners.

The Selfie Monster – ah, the generation of the self-obsessed who make egoportraits. Selfie monsters are all around us – they have already penetrated every part of the society. Their numbers are highest among iPhoneographers and Androidographers (more on that kind below), but they are now commonly seen among amateur and professional photographers as well. Selfie monsters are capable of taking selfies with any gear at hand: camera phone, DSLR, mirrorless camera, large format camera or even a drone! That’s right, “drone selfie” has already entered the modern dictionary and there is nothing you can do about it. A true selfie monster takes at least one selfie a day. Because of the repetitive behavior of extending their arms, selfie monsters have developed special muscles that cannot be found on other homo sapiens.

The Filter Fanatic – very easy to spot, since they always put a UV / protective filter in front of every single lens. Filter fanatics have filters for every occasion – from colored filters for film photography, all the way to specialized reverse GND filters. Diehard filter fanatics have at least 2:1 ratio of owned filters vs lenses. They have a collection of resin and glass filters, in every available size and form. A true filter fanatic buys filters and rarely gets a chance to actually use them.

The Filter Hater – a complete opposite of a filter fanatic is obviously a filter hater. A true filter hater owns zero filters. They find protective filters to be evil and they believe that they can emulate any filter in post-processing. When they need an ND filter for blurring water, they take consecutive shots and blend them into a single image instead. They often resort to HDR and blending techniques, so some filter haters are by default HDR freaks or blending addicts. Some filter haters even swear that they can emulate a polarizing filter in Photoshop!

The Cameraphoneographer – a person who only takes pictures on a camera phone, because everything else is too big and bulky. A cameraphoneographer heavily utilizes camera apps and never uses a computer for post-processing. Speaking of apps, they have at least a dozen photography-related apps installed on their phones that actually get used. True cameraphoneographers take pictures and video of everything they experience, and they know that the more unique and special the moment, the better it is for their social media following. That’s why cameraphoneographers love concerts, weddings and funerals. They never hesitate to jump into action to take a shot that other professional photographers might miss. Cameraphoneographers hate being referred to as “that guy” by other so called photographers. They believe they have as much right to get a shot as a paid photographer.

The iPhoneographer – typically a diehard Apple fan, an iPhoneographer only takes pictures with an iPhone. An iPhoneographer buys every iteration of an iPhone that comes out and continuously searches for iPhone-related rumors. They can be found standing in long lines on the day of an iPhone launch, even if they don’t end up getting one. It is all part of an iPhone experience, after-all!

The iPadographer – same as above, except with an iPad.

The Androidographer – typically a diehard Apple hater. Androidographers always wonder why Apple fanboys even bother buying iPhones, when their specifications always suck compared to modern Android phones. The best camera phones are based on Android and it is a fact based on DxOMark! Androidographers always laugh at iPhoneographers and their 4:3 aspect ratio photos that can’t even fit on the 16:9 screen.

The Instagram Addict – the best of Cameraphoneographers, iPhoneographers and Androidographers unite on Instagram, because it is the place to be. Success on Instagram is guaranteed if you visit a popular tourist spot and include yourself or your pretty girlfriend in every picture. Moraine Lake, Skógafoss, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal…you shall not fail! And the more booty revealed, the better. Red hats and bright colored dresses are particularly in demand. Those who don’t have girlfriends and boyfriends do well by taking pictures of their feet. Oh, and don’t forget to hashtag galore! A real addict spends more time on Instagram than taking pictures.

The Artsy-Fartsy – A VSCO Film Preset, +75 Clarity and +50 Saturation because I can, says the Artsy-Fartsy. If you don’t like their images, it is your problem, because you don’t understand real Art. After-all, photography is an art form and everyone is free to create whatever they want. The Artsy-Fartsy types love Instagram, because they can preset, filter and Hipstagram their photos, so that other Artsy-Fartsies can appreciate their creation. The more “vintagy look”, the better.

The Glamour Addict – typically a well-seasoned photographer who wants to see some young skin. Hangs out at Model Mayhem, Suicide Girls and other similar sites to provide his “photography services” in exchange for a photo shoot in his house studio.

The Guinea Pig Pre-Orderer – on the night of any camera or lens announcement, the Guinea Pig Pre-Orderers patiently wait until the pre-order window opens up, so that they can be the first in line to buy the gear. To make sure that they get their gear in the first batch, they place multiple pre-orders with multiple retailers. Once the order ships from any of the stores, they cancel other pre-orders. If the camera gear is delayed for any reason, they call and complain. Guinea Pig Pre-Orderers don’t learn from product defects and recalls – the GAS urge is simply too hard to resist.

The Chronic Complainer – no matter how much innovation camera manufacturers put into newly released cameras and lenses, it will never satisfy the chronic complainer. There is always something wrong with any gear and nothing has ever been perfect. Chronic complainers are typically ex-camera gear addicts. They feel that if they complain enough, they will not have to keep buying more gear. That’s how they keep their GAS in check.

Now the big question is, which one(s) of the above are you? Feel free to confess in public, there is no shame in that. I confess that I am partially #10, definitely #19, partially #20 & #23 and occasionally #39. Now it is your turn!

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About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is a professional photographer based out of Denver, Colorado. He is the author and founder of Photography Life, along with a number of other online resources. Read more about Nasim here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

1) Kenneth Sloan

August 4, 2017 at 7:02 am

You forgot Yashica Fanboy, those of us who use the now-defunct Yashica brand, like me before I got my Nikon N80 by accident (I put in a bid on one at E-bay just to see what it would go for and wound up being the highest bidder).

Great article, I love it may be one day gonna ask you permission to translate it into Spanish, I am a Nikon D750 fan, your post is Unique, never see any covering the big Scenario of Photographers, I hope one day I qualify to be call one, Thanks.

Nice article, I bet it took you a while to describe these. I believe we all fell in some categories at some point of our lives. Where do you find yourself – do you sometimes feel “guilty” of being a part of some of these “groups”? :-)

First of all before I confess let me say I love this article which completely cracked me up. I guess I’m a: 1 9 11 12 13 16 and 18 The 29 crowd bores me to tears. I am currently seeking psychiatric help. Hopefully from a non photographer. LOL

“a Fuji shooter only resorts to RAW as a backup.” Rubbish, but I will accept that probably. hopefully that it was said with tongue in cheek!

As an ex D700/D800/D800E/D7000/D7100 user and still a D500 user, I am still a dedicated RAW shooter. However, when I see the X-trans jpeg images and compare them to my D500, then Nikon have been left behind. The Fuji X makes sublime jpeg images.

#10: I work mostly on a tripod, and want to make sure my corners are sharp. See #19 #14: While engaging in #10, I found out my AI-S primes sharper and faster than my 2006 18~70. #16: For sure. Still have my complete RZ67 kit, multiple C330, multiple FM2, Nikonos, Sinar, multiple Graflex, and Beseler 4×5 #19: Sharp images can be fuzzed for a romantic image. Blurred images are good for nothing. #23: First, because it is fun. Next, panos are my version of shooting 4×5 with a digital back. #30: UV on every lens for protection.

Out of the scope – are you working on Nikon 28mm 1.4E review? Your reviews are always detailed, and in contrast with other reviewers you publish amazing pictures, so we can see how the lens performs in real situations. Most of other guys just take useless shots, which are not good to determine the actual lens quality.

Stefan, thanks for the feedback. I asked for the 28mm f/1.4E and a bunch of other new lenses, but it looks like my budget has been exceeded big time. Time to send the GFX 50S back with some lenses, then get on reviewing some Nikkor gear again.

I recently sold my 24mm 1.4G for few reasons: 1. I wasn’t using it much because of the 14-24 and the 24-70 2. the 24mm 1.8 is simply amazing, and 3x cheaper (so if I need 24mm I can replace it with it) 3. I found I need more the 20mm than the 24mm 4. I found both (20mm and 24mm 1.8) to have better sunflare resistance and create better sunstars than the 24mm 1.4G 5. The 28mm would fit me better replacing 24 & 35mm.

Because of my style of shooting, I want to replace the 24mm 1.4G with the 20mm 1.8 and the 28mm 1.4E. My prime setup will be: 20mm f/1.8, 28mm f/1.4, 58mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.4

You forgot to mention one and I have to mention it because I am one! A Godox fanboy! I just love their stuff and can’t stop buying to replace all my other lights (Sorry Nikon, Metz, you all lost out!) Ha.

I was looking for “The Marketer,” who has placed the business of photography far above the art of photography. Theirs is a world of gallery & glass canvas, a password list for access to portfolios on Smugbug, 500px, Photoshelter, an inventory of frames, binders, books, mugs, calendars & value added incentives, a network of schools, clubs..Ana’s somewhere hiding deep in the pile is what was at one point the most important thing: the love of photography.

Congratulations Nasim – this is an exceptional “state of the art” piece – all so perspectively true. I like the inclusion of the “chronic complainer” maybe a harmonic of the “chronic perfectionist”. I am a #1 & 5 and 20 for good measure. I never owned a camera I didn’t like – mean never and I have owned most every brand. Very seldom, at least nowadays, a #19 – for what I feel is quite over-emphasized.

Very interesting and funny article. Personally I went through multiple phases.

Equipment hoarder – than God for an understanding spouse! At some point I had the full Nikon 1.4 primes and 2.8 zooms lineups plus macro, exotic tele, etc.

I switched from Nikon to Sony, however I still have a D810 kept just for usage with the 300mm f2.8 + adapters for sports photography. Funny enough, this is cheaper and better than if I would try to duplicate the setup with Sony equipment. :-D And, yes, I still think that D810 is (very) slightly better than A7RII. The missing lossless compression on the Sony is the only thing that really irritates me… Plus the slow focus in low light – hence the D810 for sports.

I bought and resold more Zeiss primes for both Nikon and Sony than I care to admit to. In the end commodity won – a mix of f2.8 and f4 zooms paired with the A7RII it works greatly for me.

Regarding how do I map to the list above I would say these ones apply mostly to me these days: 18 – The Bokeh Monster – I sold the Batis 85mm and got the Sony 85mm f1.4 because the Batis had cat eye highlights.

19 – The Sharpness Junkie – not obsessed with it, but I prefer to have the best lenses available on the market. Life is short and why bother with second best? I just got yesterday the new Sony 16-35mm f2.8 – at 28mm and 35mm it is significantly better than the f4 everywhere in the frame. For the rest of the focal lengths the corners/margins are much better, but the central area is similar. And now I will proceed to sell my f4 copy that I just bought this Spring at a great loss of money…

23 – The Panorama Freak – guilty as charged! I love printing 6 feet panoramas of various city skylines and landscapes. However, most of the time the panoramas are handheld. When on a tripod I do not use a nodal slider, even though I have one…

Haha, excellent and interesting article! You have done a lot observation and kept listing all of these. I have the followings: 1. Nikon Fanboy: Only Nikon since 1980. 9. DSLR Dieshard: So far use only DSLR. 19. The Sharpness Junkie: I check the sharpness during shots very often. Use only sharp photos. 30. The filter fanatic; Never start to use lens the protective filter is put on. All of my lens have protective filters. But I do not use filters for other purpose often.

Thanks for the article! I’m #3 and #1. Yes, it’s possible. I just don’t have the money to prove it!

And there is another “archetype” – The Brand Apologists Those are fanboys on steroids who turned to the dark side of the force! They’re like noise – hiding in the shadows area ;-) On a normal day – when the typical fanboys are showing off with happy pictures of cats and babies, taken with $50’000 gear – the apologists are dormant. But when a failed product is released, they activate and crawl out of the holes to protect the thing at any cost. They are the most awful mixture of trolls and fanboys. They’re like vultures – need a carcass. Every brand has them, but in recent years Canon ones are the most prominent ones.

I confess to #1. I love my Nikon gear. I only buy Nikon lenses. #9 I love the through the lens view of the world. # 27 is a bit of a worry. (Don’t encourage me, I am trying to quit!) :-)

But let’s talk about my aspirations: I’d like to be #10 – but I am too lazy, and I only have time to zoom in on images where I have 2 or more which are pretty much the same (a problem created by the D500). #10 is very tempting though! I’d like to be #14- after all buying prime lenses is good for the soul, but I need my zooms. (I confess to finding my 16-35 F4 a great lens, so I know #14 is beyond my reach) I’d love to afford to be a #7 so I could become an expert #27 about the way #11 is important.

I can however confess to being #45 – a bagaholic (as yet unlisted but clearly needed) – I have lots of bags – you need different bags for different types of photography (of course you do – and you need them to be the same brand too!)

Probably seems this way as I have nothing but Nikon glass. In recent years, however, the competition has really started to shine in both quality and price so this is likely to change. Nikon really needs to take notice if they wish to continue selling lenses. Especially in the pricing department.

#9 – DLSR Fanboy

Have always used an SLR or DSLR and have quite a bit of glass for it. The glass just doesn’t exist for mirrorless that will allow it to do what my DSLR can. ( The day it does, it destroys the argument about how compact the mirrorless system is in comparison. ) I like to shoot birds and that typically takes big, fast glass. Something that doesn’t even exist ( or perform well ) on mirrorless yet. ( Does mirrorless have 500mm/f4 or bigger yet ? )

#30 – Filter Freak

Partially. Every lens I own ( that is capable of it ) has a B&W clear or UV filter attached to it. As I live near the ocean, salt spray loves to stick to lens elements and is a pita to clean off. Not to mention blowing sand wrecks front lens elements like nothing else. The exclusive use of B&W filters might seem snobby, but I got tired of running into focus issues with cheap filters.

I would have a hard time switching to another system at this point. Too much invested in Nikon glass and, since it does exactly what I want it to do, I really have no reason to switch just to keep up with whatever is in fashion atm.

Out of all of the categories, numbers 8 and 14 best describe me as I love the benefits of mirrorless cameras and value the superior optics that can be found in prime lenses at a fair price. High quality zoom lenses are too expensive for my budget and represent a high single outlay of funds for me. To some degree, numbers 19 and 30 describe me too as sharpness is important to me, although I am not fanatical about it, and I do rely on filters, particularly UV and ND filters (never got the hang of my polarizer). All my filters are from B+W, in no small part due to Nasim and his article about B+W quality.

Top shelf Nassim! 1. Nikon Fanboy – D810 and 58mm F/1.4…who needs anything else? 17. Wide open freak -I didn’t spend $$ for F/1.4 not to use it! 18. I confess to owning a Sigma 85mm Art – “Creamy” 19. I can’t accept my failings… certainly not in public! 20. Crazy Photographer – after years of walking open steel I feel comfortable waking on ledges. What was that about crumbling soil conditions?

I would add another category, the Cliche Photographer, who must stand in the exact pot and reproduce that same shot as Ansel Adams et al. Their lives are not complete if they haven’t shot every cliched image just a good as the original! From the astro shot over the light painted tree, to the night shot of fiery spinning steel wool, they need to recreate everything ever shot to prove their prowess. I liken them to a guitar player that can cover Hendrix just like Hendrix did, Clapton just like Clapton and everyone else too, but when asked if they have any ideas of their own they respond, “What?” The sub group are their viewers who love, love, love their stuff!!!

So love #20. For years I was crazy. Sadly, yellow streak got wider as I got older….Walking open steel is a little beyond where I was, but still, I would find ways even if it involved some serious fun work (climbing in dangerous places, getting too close to dangerous wildlife, which is a bad idea for other reasons etc.)

Very funny! A lot of truth in your satire; probably more than most would admit. Here’s my confession, with comments:

5: The Fuji Fanboy [Every since switching from a long line of Nikons, I’ve thought Fujis were the bee’s knees. What can I say? I like ’em. Oh, and RAW+JPEG is the rule.] 8: The Mirrorless Guru [It’s the One True Way, doncha know!] 31: The Filter Hater [My experience is that lens glass & coatings are much more durable than commonly thought. Why add more air/glass interfaces?] 33: The iPhoneographer [Yep. I’m a Mac guy, so Apple phone made sense, and have rarely been disappointed. 90% of my photos are now iPhone 7.] 36: The Instagram Addict [I get it--there's a ton of silly junk on IG; reputation mostly well-deserved. But there's also *gorgeous* photography, too.]

This is a great article, I laughed while reading it. I am guilty of pixel peeping and loving large panorama’s, which in a way they go together. I think part of my obsession with pixel peeping lies in the fact that I enjoy large prints, so detail matters. I don’t get the “stand 10 feet away from a print”, to view it because detail is lacking and it looks like mush up close. I’m the type of person that wants to be a foot away from a large print and see amazing detail. But hey I also get it, that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I use the Gigapan Epic Pro and love it, god the detail is incredible once I stitch a serious of shots together from my D810.

I started on film and I will always like it, but I think the lack of detail in my film scans is one of the problems I have with film. I love the look of film, but with my 35mm scans (Kodak Extar 100, Porta 160/400 and TMax 100), they just don’t hold up in detail the way I wish they did. The largest scans I have gotten back were only 3089×2048, and the detail just isn’t there.

BTW, the commentary under “The Film Prick” and “Selfie Monster” couldn’t have been better, great job! I think accounts with nothing but selfies should be banned, unless the images are artistically done self-portraits.

Wonderful. I would add: the Executioner – i.e., the guy who posts on photo sites to prove how much smarter he is than everybody else – how much more discriminating, knowledgeable, insistent on the loftiest standards in …. everything.

But, skipping lightly over that, here’s a pic that my then-girlfriend Emily took with an $8 late-1990s Fuji disposable camera: www.lwsphotos.com/Misc-…-qVhk3Pz/A. That’s me in the photo, shooting with $3,500 worth of Nikon F4 and 70-200/2.8 lens. All I got was boring photos of birds; meanwhile, Emily’s pic is wonderful. So – another category? The gear-independent photographer who knows how to shoot with heart?

I started off with Nikon 35 years ago.. but got a good deal and bought 4 Canons. Went on a year trip to Antartica and when I got back sold all. I was prepared to lose a lot just to get a Nikon again in my hands. Since then only Nikon for last 30 years. Do you think I am a Nikon Fanboy.. I confess. Others are good but Nikon just feel better. 14 I love primes although I have zooms 19 Sharpness is very important 23 I am not a panorama freak but like using it to get my perspective right… 30 Filters was very import for film, which I grew up with, but still use UV as standard on all my lenses. I NEVER leave my polarising filter home. Great article to test yourself against Thanks

– Brand-wise, I went from #2 (if I can get a full-frame with GPS within my budget, why worry about dynamic range?), to #1 (pre-AI lenses and insanely high ISO, why worry about practical use?), to #3 (cheap, light and does the job, why worry about battery life?)

– # 10 pixel-peeper: definitely. I try to contain the symptom by shooting film on the side, but I end up scanning and pixel-peeping the scans anyway… – # 11: comes with #10 and #19 I presume. Include lensrental.com/blog and photozone.de into the mix; – # 13: see above. You forgot the arguments from film fans about how cool it is to process your own rolls; – # 14: definitely. Nothing but primes will do, even if it means changing lenses 20 times per session (there is a reason why it is called an ILC), perform strange contorsions to try to keep your sensor clean, zoom back with your feet at the risk of ending in the gutter (best-case scenario) or off the cliff if need be. – # 16: you must have peeked in my closet; – # 19: comes with #10 & #14; – # 22: that’s an interesting one I want to try :-) – # 27: my friends and colleagues are frank enough to keep me in check;

You forgot the post-processing junkie, owning licenses for any piece of post-processing software that comes on the market and downloading strange pre-alpha versions of all the open-source stuff that comes along, and unable to master the basics of a single program.

I’ll be honest: 95% of my post-processing is done in Lightroom. But sometimes, I will be like: “Remember that cool video about how you can recover the shadows on the trees but leave the water dark?” Then I’ll fire up program X or Y, which will tell me there’s a new version and would I like to upgrade, and by the time I have decided yes or no (and generally yes), and finished the upgrade process, it will be time to cook dinner anyway and the poor picture will remain half-processed.

1st of all with all the misogynist fanboy description, you wouldn’t think that any of those descriptions matched up with the feminine gender, not to mention all the other possible genders out there today. 2ndly, while I will admit that Canon does make some good gear, I would feel really guilty about shooting a human being with a Canon. Just sayin’…

Nice post! Good to know that Im one or more of those weird-types too. Now we could discuss this whole thing a step further. What kind of personality-types stand behind each types (ISFP,INFP,ESFP,ISTP,ESTP,INTP). As far I know most professional photographers are INFP or ESFP. Henry Cartier Bresson as sample was probably an ISTJ.

Very interesting! Had to google it and take a test! Apparently I haven’t got the personality to be a pro photographer. At least not the ordinary type. Which is perfectly fine. Better have it as a hobby and not feel the pressure. For what it’s worth, internet tests are not that serious, the test claimed I had the INTJ personality, or the rational leader. But while some parts of the description fitted well other parts were not that exact. Though I do think people are more complex and therefore will not fit exactly in one of just 16 personalities. One thing was spot on though as my type was described as a “chessboard mentality”. As a matter of fact I have played chess on national master level and could have become a FIDE Candidate Master if I cared about it. But at least got the ICCF International Master title for correspondence chess. But as this is the page for confessions, and you started this side track. What is your personality?

I’m a pro photographer and am ESTJ. I’m 50 now, and I remember when doing this test at age 25 for a business I was employed by I was a ENTJ. So I haven’t changed much over the years, simply moved from more of an intuition focus to a sense focus over the years. I think that’s probably pretty accurate.

You left one out that I will confess to now: The Natural/Ambient Light Purist. This photographer sneers at others who use any light source artificially added to a scene, including the pop-up flash, but only because they are too lazy/cheap/intimidated to learn how to use them.

I also confess to Nos. 10, 19 and 25 (even though I have no business being in this category!).

I’ve got a tinge of #1 in mean, a #9 and #20. Yes, you should have a RAWShooter Only category, which I fit in, except, of course, when I have to do HDR. I would fit in an anti-JPG category as well, since I even export for web in .png. We are a strange lot, aren’t we?

Nasim, I laughed so hard that if my chair didn’t have arms I would have fallen out of it. I am still laughing so much that I am having trouble typing. You nailed every type. I don’t think you missed any characteristics. Seriously, this is your best essay ever and so you may as well retire from photography because you can never do better than this. Never mind taking pictures! My favorite of all is #20 – The Crazy Photographer. When you confessed to it I almost died laughing. I am still laughing! And thinking of Bob Andersen. Here’s my confession: #1 #9 a little #15 – my favorite lens is my Nikkor 28-300! a little #16 – I still have my film F3 and all it’s lenses. Lately I’ve been bragging about my Nikkor 50mm f/1.2

I am still laughing! Well done Nasim. You are becoming an expert at facetious writing. There is one other category now I think of it. The Gear Competitor. Name any gear and somebody will enter into a pissing match to prove why their minimalist gear is all anybody needs and all the gearheads are fools and idiots for buying anything that can be considered better than theirs. Unfortunately, PL has many of these trolling every gear essay.

There is one group missing: the real artist who doesn’t care about equipment at all but is capable to make great photographs with any photographic tools! Unfortunately you don’t hear so often from this group because they tell stories with pictures and usually don’t write (or fight) in blogs!

So right. Just saw the Mapplethorpe documentary a few days ago. First he used a polaroid camera then replaced it with a Hasselblad, propably with 80 and 150mm lenses plus a studio and darkroom with equipment. That plus a lot of film and some extra film backs was all the camera gear he needed to be worth more than two billion US$ when he passed away. Not bad considering the low value of photographs when he started photographing with his Hasselblad.

You missed on a particular species of film photographer – the Large Format Junkie. “I’m a photographer, not a stamp collector!” Negatives smaller than 4″x5″ just don’t cut it, 5″x7″ is better and 8″x10″ and above starts to get interesting. Carries a black cloth, and knows how to use it (it goes over your head and your camera). Doesn’t get confused when the image is upside-down on the ground glass. Thinks tilt-and-shift lenses are for wimps, a proper camera provides the movements – and does it better.

I will partially addmit to #1 sincew I own all Nikon geat and have no plans to switch. I am, however, totlly OK with people using whatever camera brand best meets their needs if that is what they want to waste their hard earned money on. I am a #9 DSLR diehard since my bear paw sized hands have trouble hitting the right buttons on smaller bodies. I would like to see a Nikon FF mirrorless and would be willing to give that a try. I do use Nikon1s for underwater work, but they are in a housing which makes them easier for me to use. I am also a #15 super zoomer. You can’t always zoom with your feet and I hate changing lenses every few minutes. I am most certainly not a #24 – Get it roght in camera. I fully support using all available tools to improve your shots. You can’t rescues bad ones in software but you can make good ones better some times. You should add a category for those who are trying every new raw processor in an attempt to find an alternative to the Adobe tax ($10/mo) for LRCC/PSCC. There are certainly many options to try and they have their benefits. However, in my view, most of them work much better as PS/LR plug-ins than they do as stand-alones. Go figure. Great piece and good comments from the your readers.

Brilliant article, Nasim. I lost count of the number of times I roared with laughter while reading it.

Here are my confessions: #4078, which some Nikon owners will understand if they convert this decimal number to hexadecimal :-) #18 (The Bokeh Monster): I much prefer control-ring bokeh to onion-ring bokeh!

How about the Shoot Fully Manual Purist? I am definitely one of those. Auto anything is for newbies and inexperienced enthusiasts on the learning curve, or for advanced, semi-pro or pro’s who have fallen into laziness, like Spencer :) Auto is also for anyone afraid to try manual because their camera might explode. I was definitely one of those. Changing over to fully manual is a conversion experience. Once you’ve done it, you are enlightened and have entered a higher realm of photography initiates. Now I am liberated as a Fully Manual Purist and have much more fun. :)

I forgot to say that it goes without saying that the Manual Purist only shoots in RAW, as do many others who may or may not be on the path to Manual Shooting. I also forgot to mention the pinacle subclass of the Highest Manual Purist, which requires shooting at all times and in all conditions with manual focus. I confess that I have not yet attained that level, though I do dabble with manual focus from time to time, and it is kind of neat.

Love this!! I am a pixel peeper, semi-Nikon fanboy (when it comes to bodies) and a filter fanatic. Though I am these, I am not ALWAYS these. I do love to change things up a bit and go filter-naked once in awhile!! ;-)

This article brought a big smile on my old face. Thank you for another great article. I am confessing that I have trespassed. My first love , by the name of Minolta, was unceremoniously dropped for a Nikon F1 in 1974. So far I succeeded not to stray. GAS was “never” a problem but cannot help to think about my D810’s, successor. In order to protect my wife and two daughters from the evils of other camera brands, they were given Nikon cameras and lenses as birthday presents. a Man needs to protect the family.

What amazes me the most are fanboys who defends every step the company, whos products they are a fan of, take, even if they are bad. While normal customers would rather pay as little for a product as possible. Fanboys defends the high price policy even when a majority think a product is overpriced.

While this list is written tongue in cheek I think nr 16 should be split in at least two categories. People talk about GAS as if was only one symptom. But I think there more than one type of GAS.

For me one subgroup of GAS or the Gear Acquisition Syndrome in photography is when somebody think more gear is needed to become a better photographer and to solve different photographic problems. Typically this type is a first adopter constantly looking for the lates and greatest equipment.

The other subgroup is a collector. Hoarding is just the initial phase before the collection get more structure. The collector usually already started collecting things as a kid. Except for very rich collectors the ordinary collector usually is a late adopter looking for used bargains to be able to collect as much as possible. Also collectors know very well all that gear will not improve their skills, and that they actually have no need for most of the gear. They are just obsessed to make the collection as complete as possible.

As to my confession let’s say I’m not a first adopter but collected stamps as a kid! Other things doesn’t apply to me at all. Though clearly some things are easier to confess to than other things. like pixel peeping. Everybody does it sometimes. Only most don’t do it that often and are obsessed by it. And in this community I would say crazy photographers who are risking their lives for a picture and could be martyrs on the altar of photography are heros like Robert Capa.

Nasim, that’s a brilliant piece of writing I now feel the urge to hide myself after identifying with so many of these points (namely – #9,#10,#11,#19,#20,#22,#24,#30) I had a really good laugh, I admit. I would add only one thing to the cameraphoneographer, it’s the constant urge to say “the right camera is the one you always have on you” on every occasion in any photo discussion

Thirty plus years as #1 Nikon fanboy … now slowing moving to being #5 Fuji fanboy mostly wanting to lighten my load, hence, fast becoming #8 especially looking for the rational of decision support. :) Always been #24 of getting right in camera …. mostly now because I detest the time I spend in PS to make up for my goofs. However I am trying to wean myself from #19 knowing sharpest isn’t the end all but old habits die hard. Thanks for the fun read … have you got any sexist complaints on your use of “boy”? :)

I like to add one. “The Manual Fanboy”. These group of people would never consider taking photos using P, A or S. They also use TTL flash in MANUAL mode only. Every single photos they’ve taken is using M mode only. They do not care if they miss the shot as long as it’s in M mode. The only excuse these group is not using other than M mode is because “they do not trust the camera setting the exposure for them”.

And I’ve a confession to make. I’m once – The DxOMarker and The Nikon Fanboy. But I’ve repented and thank you for taking me back to the right path.

That was a fun read. #34, the iPadographer caused me to recall that a few years ago I was taking a tour of Versailles and at one point, as we’re going around a corner, the guide says to the two of us, ‘watch out for the airplane controllers.’ She explained, ‘we call all those people with their iPads ‘airplane controllers’ because they’re like those guys waving their paddles around parking planes at the gates at the airport.’

Number 41: The non-shooter. This “photographer” is so busy thinking, planning, acquiring, debating, wondering, pondering, researching, and contemplating that he never gets out in the field to take a shot.

LOL – very funny article and mostly true! I think you left out “The Gear Lister Freak” who likes to list every piece of gear they own in their signature line in photography forums. I suppose that can go under “GAS”. Thanks for the article.

Ahh… you forgot the Instant Film Guy. He has a Polaroid 110A converted with interchangeable backs to take packfilm, polaroid and Instax, a collection of instant cameras (at least 5 or 6) in different formats, and a fridge full of hoarded expired film that he will get around to shooting one day. He loves the instant gratification, but like the Film Prick, he eschews using a digital camera to achieve it. The instant film guy even has a polaroid/Instax printer, so if he happens to take a photo on his iPhone he can later convert it to film to ensure its validity as an artistic image.

The Fringe Hater – whines endlessly about different types of chromatic aberrations, he hates them and think a single click in lightroom is for scrubs. His kit consists of lenses with absolutely near-zero chromatic aberration, namely the Zeiss Otus 55mm and 85mm. Where’s the 28mm you ask? Well it has a hint of purple and green wide open, why would he own it, it’s literally worthless!

The Coma Complainer – these people usually love UWA lenses, and they only use UWA lenses. They are also strictly owl-type since they stay up all night in the middle of no where taking astro shots. Each time a new wide angle lens meets the market, the first thing they do is ask “how’s the coma wide open???” If seagulls and geese are rendered in the corner, it’s automatically a trash lens, and owning own would be a disgrace. They love referring to the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 and 24mm f/1.4, and trash Canikon’s similar offerings because they have trashy coma performance. “Why the heck would I care about sharpness? It’s astro, god damn it! What, the Sigma 20/1.4? It’s junk, look at the ducks wide open, gitgud skrub learn yo priorities”, says the Coma Complainer.

The UWA Fanatic – the wider, the better! Each of them have the Canon 11-24mm in their kit, it’s the best thing since sliced bread! They shoot everything with a wide angle lens, even portraits. If you dislike the perspective distortion, you’re simply too poor to own the mighty 11-24mm and you don’t know what art is. He usually also owns a 170mm filter kit, each filter is literally the size of an ipad mini.

The Fisheye Hater – fisheyes are disturbing, unnatural, and unpleasing! Everyone buys a fisheye and they will always end up selling it! — says the fisheye hater. The fisheye hater is usually also a distortion freak. They love straight lines, not curves. “Curves are not natural, and the Earth is flat”.

The Distortion Hater – he really hate distortions. You know, barrel distortion, pin-cushoon… whatever it’s spelt, and so on. He can name every single distortion in the book and he is also able to detect it. The first thing he does when a new wide angle is released is to look up photos of brick walls, because apparently that’s what everyone cares about, brick walls. Explaining LR correction to him is like talking to a brick wall.

The Tele-portrait Freak – “What, 85mm for portraits? You’re so mainstream, get on my level skrub.” The tele freak will only use lenses longer than 200mm for his portraits. In fact, the longer, the better! He has a 300mm f/2.8, and lectures people on how superior the separation, compression, and BOKEHHH a 300mm produces. He obviously also owns a 200mm f/2, because it would be a sin to not. Unreliable sources claim that he has severe micro-d!ck syndrome, and compensates his manhood with very long glass. Every tele-portrait freak owns a walkie talkie and a megaphone. It’s “hard” business to shoot full body shots of models with an 800mm f/5.6.

The Sigma Fanboi – SIGMA ARRRRRTTT, SHARRRRRRPPPP. Sigma is beating Canikon with their ARTTTT series. The Sigma fanboy owns every sigma “Art” lens ever produced. Don’t you dare bring up AF inaccuracy and sample variation, that’s horrible. The Sigma fanboy is usually also a sharpness freak, and hates the Otus line of Zeiss lenses, because it’s sharper. Oh of course we all know it’s because he cannot afford it.

I can add more but I’m running out of creativity… haha Source: I actually fall under several of these, namely the Coma-Complainer and Tele-Portrait Freak.

You missed out “Nikon 1 with a zoom lens fanboys”. In ancient times they would have been using a pinhole camera camera, and saying “what, me, I don’t need no stinkin’ lens, look at my picture of a sleeping cat”.

Me too ! , my gf blamed me for taking too much “useless” pictures, and at home it was her responsible to select 1-2 best pictures out of 20 then post processing in instagram or fb before post in social media :( I want to get rid of this syndrome T^T . Just ask for fun. How many pictures to you take (portrait) to get one acceptable image ? Mine is 10/1 ratio I think it was “wife/gf dependent ” , I know it was subjective, just ask for fun ..

This is by far the best articlle about photography I have read in several years, I can easily identify several of my friends and colleagues in the photoclub, while admitting that I am definitely in category 14,17,19 ,20 & 32. Tomorrow I will particpate in a street photography event together with 2 friends because of Copenhagen Fashion Week, so I guess I am also into category 38. Your illustration of ‘stages of a photographer’ is simply spot-on !

#4, #9 – a little bit, #12 – I likes a bit of gossip, #13 very much so, #14 is there an alternative? , #24

Regarding #4 – Been there, done it, and survived! As I move in different photographic environments, mainly Canon and Nikon, one which has migrated from Canon via Sony to Micro 4/3 it’s amazing what lemmingnesque behaviour some people show when the alpha person has a tendency to switch camera systems as frequently as their mobile phone, and believe it or not Leica my self preservation tendencies have curbed my willingness to defend Pentax honour with fists. And regarding my verbal diarrhoea when triggered – that has been curbed after I was taunted twice and I swore I would not fall for it a third time. So after I went through the Pentax hell and back I now reley knowing that Pentax photographers are superior and above the madding crowds, on the right path to the pinnacle of photographic existence:

#13 The Film Prick. (or as we would prefer to be called the film photographers) But once you reached that airy heights you will notice that you have opened a whole new world of segregation – Black and White only, Medium Format, Large Format, Self Developer, Self Printer, Pin Hole. Caffenol Gurus, Wet Collodium … and surely there are more. I assure you, you do not want to get the film photographer started, he will bore your pants off.

Wow! Thanks for great article! Agree that this is probably the best article I’ve read in recent years. Now I can make self-diagnosis some of these syndromes. Currently I am “craving for nikon full frame mirrorless” syndrome.

This is by far the best article about photography I have read in recent times. Thanks for the article and during the entire reading I would have laughed may be (LOL!) a dozen times how crazy we are all including you and me. But at the end, I am proud to say I am a Photographer though confess that I am crazy of #10 :The Pixel Peeper #21: The HDR Freak exactly with three HDR tools , photomatix pro, Luminance HDR and HDR merge. #22 : The blending Addict and trying to come out this and #21 and to become #24 : The “Get it Right in-camera” Purist especially with ETTR. #23: The panorama freak 100 percent, to prove it I have three fish eye lenses and two pano heads, and when I am on field especially out doors, some times people give some strange looks ! they may be thinking ( I am sure they are) ” we have seen people taking photos in some direction, what the hell this guy doing ? what is his subject of photography ? God only knows ! may be he is turning his camera in all directions to find a good subject poor fellow”. So nowadays I do lot handheld panos outdoors with a philopod (avoiding tripod and pano head) ,even then people give some times that same old suspicious look. Any thing you could suggest on this.

Very nice article, but I have to say something about the Pentax users, having always been one of them myself. In fact, I would’t even use the term “fanboy”. In my experience, Pentax users (including me) are the ones who care the least about proselytizing others. True, we take a special pride in being the odd ones out, using a brand that most people wouldn’t consider, but we don’t try to convert other people. It would be useless, and anyway we think that no-one is going to appreciate Pentax as much as we do. We don’t look for gadgets, style or cutting edge technology (if we did, we would shoot with Nikons). We want a no-frills, sturdy and reliable camera with a near-film rendition, and we know that we have it. We want to use the magnificent glass from 30 or 40 years ago with the same K mount. We want cameras that make sense and have actually been designed to be operated by humans. Other photographers can keep running around chasing the latest innovations, Pentax users are satisfied with what they have (and honestly, when they get to compare their cameras with other brands they don’t see what all the fuss is about). OK, maybe not all Pentax users are like this, but I am and so are most of those I know.

#5 Fuji Fangirl: Love my Fuji, but I personally shoot the RAF files and post-process them because I love post-processing. #14 Prime Shooter: I shoot macro, so I don’t really have a choice there! Aside from the macro, I have a 35mm WR because it’s small and inconspicuous. #19 Sharpness Junkie: No shot survives in my Lightroom library if it’s blurry. Or well, almost none. If it’s the ONLY shot of a very important thing and I have nothing else that is sharp, I might keep it, but it won’t even get exported. #20 Crazy photog: On the ground in the mud on a stormy day with absolute downpour to get that shot of a little frog? Yep. Maybe not to the point of getting a grizzly on my butt though.

If you have time to hang out at all the rumor sites and associated forums, you can over the years make a pretty informed decision on when to sell your existing gear to maximize profit (minimize loss) on used photo gear forums. To be successful you need: 1) not to pre-order and buy at highest price when something comes out. Get the best deal possible. 2) baby your gear. Don’t put too many clicks on your camera. 3) the moment you get a drift on rumors sites of a replacement come up, you must sell your existing camera. Because if you wait too long, everyone will dump their existing camera for a new best thing. If you snooze, you lose. Just look at amount of D810 for sale on Fred Miranda ‘for sale’ boards today.

If you follow the above strategy, you can minimize your losses on upgrading. But this requires a lot of time and dedication.

Haha, this was the funniest article I’ve read in a long time and so on point!

I am a recovering Pixel Peeper, but am definitely a full blown Camera Gear Hoarder, owner of three Panasonic compacts, one Olympus MFT and two film cameras–a Pentax and Canon. Owned a Sony (but gave it away), but am now looking to buy a Nikon DSLR, a Sony and an old Fuji–when they come down in price, of course!

I know a Leica Fanboy, and man, you nailed that group to a tee!

Another category I would add is the Lomo Fanatic–thinks images that look like a badly aged 1958 color film slide that’s been left sitting in a moldy attic for 30 years in direct sunlight are the epitome of coolness. Obsessed with cross-processing, double exposure, vignetting and film that looks like it was accidentally exposed to light. Can often be spotted buying Lomo gear in the basement level of Urban Outfitters. In the rare occasion of shooting digital, post-processes images to look “lomo.”

And how about the Polaroid Romantics? In constant denial that the old company and its camera are never coming back, has insisted every single year for the past six years that it will definitely return. Eats, sleeps and drinks Polaroid, refuses to even consider Fuji’s Instax cameras as a worthy successor.

This is the best photography article I have ever read. Me: – 2) Although I now own a D500. Just wish Canon would keep up. 9) 10) 12) Looking out for when Canon get back in the game. 13) I have Ilford HP5 in the fridge. It has been there for years untouched. Removal of said film will result in divorce and she knows it. 15) Always been a fan but not to the exclusion of 14) 16) 19) 21) I am not a HDR freak but I include this only because of the “Stages of Photographer” image. It is a sickening reminder of who I am. So close to the mark its scary. 40) (ish)

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